60+ Holiday Snacks in 20 Minutes Or Less

Uh oh. The buzzer rings. Friends are coming over to spread holiday cheer and you panic. Serve frozen dumplings...again?! You can do better than that. Print out this list of easy-to-assemble, stress-free, mostly-sub-20-minutes-to-prepare munchies and paste it to the fridge.

We asked the SE staffers for all their favorite secret party food weapons. Here are 60+ dips, hors d'oeuvres, small bites, toasty snacks, sweet nibbles, appetizers, and more festive munchies to prepare in a snap.

Mayonnaise-Based Dips

Homemade Aioli
3 minced garlic cloves, 2 egg yolks, a tablespoon of water, a teaspoon lemon juice, and a teaspoon of mustard in a food processor (or whisk by hand). With machine running, drizzle in 1 cup vegetable oil. Transfer to bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in water if sauce is too thick. Serve with raw vegetables or poached chilled shrimp. Full recipe here.

Creamy Anchovy-Herb Dip
A cup of mayonnaise with a cup of Greek yogurt, a garlic clove, two anchovies, and a handful of parsley in the food processor. Stir in chopped chives and serve with crudités.

Fish Roe and Crème Fraîche
A cup of crème fraîche and a quarter cup of Japanese-style tobiko stirred together with a teaspoon of lemon or yuzu juice, seasoned with salt to taste. Serve with breadsticks or crudités.

Leftover Roast Meat with White Sauce
A cup each yogurt and mayonnaise with 1 clove minced garlic, chopped parsley (or mint), and juice of one lemon. Season with salt and pepper and serve with thin sliced leftover roast beef (or roast turkey or roast pork) on toasted pita chips.

Spicy Indian Pickle Dip
1/2 cup of jarred Indian lime pickle pureed in the blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and a teaspoon of lemon zest. Serve with crudité or homemade or storebought fried chicken fingers.

Cheese-Based Dips and Spreads

Whipped Ricotta
Beat two cups of ricotta with a half cup of whole milk until it's light and fluffy. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt, thyme, and/or rosemary and drizzle with olive oil. Slather it on toasted bread and serve with figs or other jammy fruit. Full recipe here.

Miso-Honey Mayo
1/4 cup of miso paste and 1/4 cup of honey mixed with a cup of mayonnaise. Serve with homemade or store-bought onion rings.

Ricotta with Butternut Squash
Mix a quarter-cup of butternut squash puree into good ricotta. Fry a handful of sage leaves in 2 tablespoons until butter has browned, stir into mixture. Season with salt and pinch of brown sugar.

Marinated Manchego
Cubes of manchego, asiago, or other semi-firm cheese marinated in olive oil with rosemary, sliced garlic, and black pepper for 15 minutes. Top each cube with a slice of sun-dried tomato and skewer with rosemary stems

Goat Cheese and Herb Peppadews
Blend a good soft goat cheese with any chopped herbs you have on hand. Roll tiny balls of goat cheese and stuff them into the peppadews for awesome pepper poppers.

Stuffed Dates
Stuff pitted dates or prunes with blue cheese like Cabrales. Wrap with prosciutto or jamón Serrano and drizzle with honey.

Chipotle Mandarin Almonds
Toss 3 cups almonds with 2 tablespoons olive oil, pinch of kosher salt, and pinch of chipotle powder. Roast at 350ºF until fragrant. Squeeze the juice of 1 mandarin orange over the almonds just as they come out of the oven, you want the juice to sizzle, reduce, and bake onto the spicy, smoky almonds.

Roasted Chickpeas
Toss 1 can drained chickpeas with olive oil, and pinch each of cumin, cayenne, and paprika. Roast at 425F degrees until crunchy. Season with salt.

Kale Chips
Wash a head of kale. Dry thoroughly and tear leaves into small pieces (do not use thicker parts of stems). Toss with olive oil and salt. Bake in a 350ºF oven, tossing occasionally, until dried out and darkened. Squeeze lemon over top and serve immediately.

Pesto Bites
Halve 1 pint of cherry tomatoes. Spread each half with jarred or homemade pesto. Thread onto toothpicks along with a 1/2-inch cube of fresh mozzarella. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and cracked black pepper.

Salmon on Pumpernickel
Cut a half loaf of pumpernickel bread into 1.5-inch square pieces. Top each square with one teaspoon of cream cheese, one piece of smoked salmon, 1/4 teaspoon chopped chives and a squeeze of lemon.

Deviled Eggs With Herbs and Olive Oil
Fold in 1 tablespoon each chopped parsley, tarragon, and chives to yolk mixture.

Deviled Eggs With Tuna
Add 1 small can high quality Spanish or French confit tuna packed in olive oil to yolks with 2 tablespoons chopped Niçoise olives. spoon into whites. Sprinkle with parsley, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and crunchy sea salt. Use all the egg white cups.

Quick Puff Pastry Tarts

Prunes, Onion, Blue Cheese
Caramelized onions and prunes simmered in a mixture of cognac and honey on top of puff pastry, bake at 350°F until puffed and golden, then top with blue cheese and a honey drizzle.

Apples, Apricots, Goat Cheese
Thinly sliced apples tiled on puff pastry painted with a mixture of 1/2 cup apricot jam and a tablespoon of water. Dot with goat cheese and bake at 350°F until puffed and golden, then sprinkle with thyme leaves.